Blood Bath
by charmedhogwarts
Summary: Amber begins work at NCIS, then begins getting prank calls. she changes her number more than once, and the calls finally stop. Then she gets a visit from someone from her past, with horrifying results.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One.**

The alarm hadn't gone off yet, b ut Amber Sterrett was already up. She had gotten in the shower, and now was trying to find something to wear. She was starting her new job today.

She was starting at NCIS, under Jethro Gibbs, one of the best snipers in the Marines. She was hoping to be at least half as great as him. She was one of the few female snipers in the Marines, and she was great at it.

She finally decided that it was time to get out of the Marines, then just a couple of days later, she got a call from a friend, about a job offer. She decided to take it.

Amber finally decided on a pair of khaki capris, and a nice dressy tank top. She slipped on a comfortable pair of heels, then did her hair, and applied some makeup. She checked the time, grabbed everything she needed, then headed for her car.

About thirty minutes later, she was in the elevator, waiting for her stop. A few seconds later, she heard a "ding", and the elevator doors opened. She stepped out and looked around. She saw a guy sitting at a desk, string off into space. Maybe he was Jethro Gibbs, Amber had never seen Gibbs before, she had only seen his achievements.

She walked over to the guy, and waited for the guy to notice her. He suddenly chuckled and licked his lips. Amber raised her eyebrows.

She finally looked at her watch. it was getting ridiculous, the guy was still ignoring her. She cleared her thoat, and the guy jumped. Amber smiled.

"Who are you?" The guy asked.

"Aren't we the cranky one today." Amber said.

"Sorry, you just surprised me that's all." He said.

Amber smiled.

"I'm Amber Sterrett. Are you Jethro Gibbs?" Amber asked.

The guy smiled, and began laughing. Amber was confused. When he saw her face, he coughed, and stopped smiling.

"Oh, you were serious." He said.

"Yes." Amber said.

"Sorry, no, I'm not Gibbs. I'm Tony DiNozzo. Can I help you with something?" Tony asked.

"nope, I'm here to speak with Gibbs." Amber said.

"He's not here." Tony said.

"Really? I had no idea. I thought that he might be invisible." Amber said.

"You're a comedian." Tony said, with a laugh.

"Actually, I'm a sniper. Do you know when he'll be back?" Amber asked.

"Not for a while. Is there anything that I can help you with?" Tony asked.

"Not unless you're gibbs." Amber said.

"I think that we've established that I'm not Gibbs." Tony said.

"Well, then I'll wait for Gibbs." Amber said.

"It'll be a while." Tony said.

"I'm not in any hurry. I'll wait." Amber said, sitting down at the desk across from Tony's.

He gave her a weird look.

"So, you're a sniper." Tony said.

"Not anymore. About two days ago, I retired from the Marines. A friend asked me to stop in today, to talk to Gibbs." Amber said.

They made small talk for about an hour, when Amber got a call. She stood, answered, then walked over to the window. Tony dialed a number, carefully watching her.

"Yeah." A voice said.

"Boss, you might want to get back here, there's someone here that wants to talk to you." Tony said.

"I'm almost there."

Tony hung up.

Amber hung up a minute later.

"Is he on his way?" Amber asked.

Tony looked confused.

"Yes. He should be here soon." Tony said.

Amber nodded, and went back to looking out of the window.

A couple minutes later, two people walked out of the elevator. The man walked over to Tony, and the woman walked to Amber.

"Amber, how was the drive?"

"It was fine, Jen." Amber said.

Tony was explaining who Ambr was.

"Her name is Amber Sterrett. All she's told me is that she just retired from the Marines, as a sniper. A friend asked her to come today. Yours?" Tony said.

"Jenny Shepard, the new Director of NCIS."

Tony looked over at the Director.

"Interesting." Tony said.

Jenny Shepard and Amber walked over to the two men.

"Agent Gibbs, Agent DiNozzo, this is Amber Sterrett, your new team member." Jenny said.

Neither Gibbs, nor Tony said anything. Tony was looking at Jenny, while Gibbs was looking at Amber. Amber felt like she was under a microscope, but she did her best to hide her discomfort.

"Yes, Agent DiNozzo, I am the new NCIS Director. Amber, if you would follow me, I will get you your gun, badge, and I.D." Jenny said.

Amber nodded.

"It was...nice to meet you." Amber told them, looking at Gibbs.

She followed Jenny up the stairs, and to the Director's office.

Gibbs watched her walk away. He suddenly slapped the back of Tony's head.

"Sorry boss." Tony said.

"Where's McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"He should be here any minute." Tony said.

About five minutes later, Tim McGee walked out of the elevator, and to his desk.

"You're late." Gibbs said.

"Sorry boss, I was stuck in traffic." McGee said.

Gibbs just looked at him.

"It won't happen again." McGee said.

Gibbs grabbed a couple files, and left for MTAC.

"What's up with him?" McGee asked Tony.

"We have a new Director, and a new member, probie." Tony said.

"Who is it?" McGee asked.

"Both are red heads, but the new member has lighter hair, like a strawberry blonde color, and they're both hot." Tony said.

McGee rolled his eyes.

"Is that all you think about Tony?" McGee asked.

"No." Tony said.

"Right." McGee said.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Some people might be...opposed to you taking this position." Jenny said.

"Why?" Amber asked.

Jenny sighed.

"The person that you are replacing, was killed in the line of duty. She was really well liked on the team." Jenny said.

"I'm sure that I can handle it. Besides, it's an honor to be working under Jethro Gibbs." Amber said.

Jenny raised her eyebrows and looked at Amber. Amber rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"Not like that Jen." Amber said.

Jenny laughed.

"Okay, why don't you get settled in." Jenny said.

Amber headed for the door, but stopped.

"Thanks Jen." Amber said.

Jenny smiled.

"It was the least I could do." Jenny said.

Amber headed down to the desks. Gibbs was gone, but someone new was there. Amber sat at the desk across from Tony. She tried the drawers, but they were locked.

"Does anyone have the keys for the drawers?" A,ber asked.

Both Tony and the other guy just looked at her.

"What?" Amber asked, when no one said anything.

"But that's Kate's desk."

"Where is she then? Isn't she late?" Amber asked.

"She was killed." Tony said.

"Then it's not her desk anymore then." Amber said.

Suddenly, Gibbs walked past, and a key ring with keys landed on the desk. She watched him sit down at his desk.

"Thank you sir." Amber said.

Gibbs just looked at her for a minute, then started some paper work.

Tony was looking from Amber to Gibbs, and back again. He was in shock. Gibbs usually said something. It was as if Gibbs was ignoring Amber. Tony looked over at Tim McGee. McGee shrugged.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two.**

Jenny was right. Some people didn't like her, because she was taking over for Kate. One of the people that didn't like, or trust Amber, was the forensics tech, Abby. Abby made mean and rude remarks to Amber whenever she could. Amber would just roll her eyes and ignore it.

Tony asked her out, constantly. Every time, she declined. Apparently he didn't get the message.

McGee liked her. He didn't have a problem with her. They got along pretty well, they both enjoyed computers, and it was hard to tell which was better on it.

Gibbs barely talked to her, unless it was necessarry. Many times she would feel someone watching her, when she looked around, she would find Gibbs just watching her. Most of the time she would shrug it off, but sometimes it got to her. She couldn't understand why he just watched her.

She thought it would be different working with Gibbs, a learning experience. It wasn't at all how she pictured it.

Amber sighed, turned her car off, and headed into the house. She was shutting the door, as the phone began ringing. She hurried to pick it up.

"Hello?" Amber said.

Silence.

"Hello?" Amber said again.

Still no answer, but she did hear someone breathing.

"Is anyone there?" Amber asked.

The brathing got heavier.

She finally had enough, and hung up.

'That was weird.' Amber thought to herself as she stared at the phone.

She shook her head, to clear it. She headed down the hall, to her bedroom. She needed to get changed. She put on a pair of jogging pants, and a tank top. She put her hair into a ponytail, as the phone began ringing.

She walked over to her bedside table, and picked the phone up.

"Hello?" Amber said.

Silence. Again.

"Hello?" Amber said.

Like before, she heard breathing on the other end of the line.

"If any one is there, please say something." Amber pleaded.

Like before, the breathing got heavier. Amber hung up.

Who the hell would be calling her, but not speaking? This was starting to creep her out.

She headed out to the kitchen to make something to eat. Her appetite was quickly leaving her. She made a sandwhich and a salad.

She brought both into the living room, sat on the couch, and turned the T.V. on.

a couple of hours later, when she was getting ready for bed, the phone rang, again.

She was a little worried about answering it. She bit her lip, but decided to answer. Once again, now one answered, and all she heard was heavy breathing. She decided to call the phone company in the morning. She got into bed, tured the bedside lamp off, and tried to sleep.

Amber yawned as she sat down at her desk.

"Bad night last night?" Tony asked.

"Trouble sleeping." She told him.

Every two hours she had gotten a phone call. They were the same as before, no talking, just breathing. It was getting ridiculous.

The phone company gave her a new number, and so far, so good. She hoped that she wouldn't get anymore calls.

All day she was dragging her feet. She tried hiding it, but she knew that some had noticed, like Gibbs. He was watching her everytime she looked up, and he was very perceptive. She had no idea why he watched her so much, that and he rarely talked to her. It was just her though. He had no problem talking to Tony, or McGee, or to Abby, or to the Medical Examiner, Ducky.

Maybe she should talk to him about it. On the other hand, he was Gibbs, not much on the talking thing. Maybe she should look him up on the internet, or ask Tony, or Tim about Gibbs. She wasn't sure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three.**

A couple months went by, without a phone call, and she was forgetting about them. Her life was getting back to normal. Gibbs wasn't really talking to her, but Abby was actually starting to come around. Abby was being nicce and was starting to trust her. Amber was starting to fit in.

Then the phone calls started again. She bought a caller I.D., and just didn't answer the phone. At night, she took the phone off of the hook.

Then the calls started on her cell phone. The calls came all through out the days and nights. While she was at work, and while she was sleeping. At night she would turn her cell phone off.

She had no clue who was calling her, the person never spoke, just breathed. Tony and McGee would ask her about the phone calls when she got them at work, she would just tell them it was a wrong number. At first they believed her, but they were starting to get suspicious.

She had finally decided to change her number again, on both her cell, and ger land line. The calls once again stopped. She made sure the numbers were unlisted, and the only people who knew the numbers, were immediate family members, and her co workers. Just in case they needed to get a hold of her. It worked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four.**

Two years had passed, and she hadn't gotten any calls sincer then. She was happy.

Tony had finally gotten the idea that no meant no. he had stopped asking her out.

Gibbs had finally started talking to her, but everyonce in a while, she would catch him watching her. She still didn't know why.

She had become great friends with Abby. They had even hung out, and gone bowling together. She was a little surprised to find that Abby slept in a coffin, but it was Abby. Nothing to do with Abby should have been very surprising.

Amber had gotten home after a very long day at work. She was a little tired and starving. She had changed, and was starting to think about what to make for dinner, when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Amber said.

Silence.

"Hello?" She said again.

"I'm watching you." A raspy voice whispered.

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

"Who the hell is this, and how did you get this number?" Amber demanded.

"I'll see you soon." The voice said.

She slammed the phone down.

Her heart was beating a mile a minute. She ran through the house, locking all the doors and windows. She quickly dialed Abby's number. No answer. Who else could she call? Tony was definately out of the question. Gibbs too. McGee. She dialed Tim's number, and prayed he would answer.

"Hello?" Tim said.

"It's Amber, are you doing anything?" Amber asked, trying to calm down.

"No, why, what's wrong Amber?" He asked.

"Can you come over?" She asked.

"Right now?" He asked.

"Yes." She said.

"I don't know. Is there something wrong?" He asked.

"Please Tim." She whispered.

He didn't say anything for a minute.

"I'll be right there, but you need to tell me what's wrong." He told her.

"I will, when you get here." She said.

"I'll be there in twenty." Tim said.

"Okay." She said.

She hung up, and went over to the window. She peeked out. She didn't see anything.

She suddenly jumped away from the window.

"What the hell am I doing?!" She whispered to no one.

How could she forget her training? She was making herself an open target, looking out of the window like she was. She was smarter than that!

She began pacing. After a few minutes, she turned the T.V. on, to try to pass the time, but she couldn't concentrate. She kept checking the time, but it was crawling by.

There was a knock on her door, finally. She jumped, and cautiously walked over to the door. Another knock.

"Amber? Amber, are you there? It's Tim." Tim said.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly opened the door. Standing there was Tim, looking worried.

"Tim! Come on in, quickly." Amber said.

She quickly closed the door behind him.

"Okay, tell me what's going on, you sounded scared on the phone." Tim said.

Amber hugged him.

"Thank you for coming. Are you hungry? I could make something to eat." Amber said.

"Amber, I want to know whats going on." Tim said.

Amber sighed.

"When I started at NCIS, I got some phone calls. Nobody would say anything, they would just breathe. I changed my number, and the calls stopped for a while, but started again. I dealt with it for as long as I could, then I switched my number, again, and had it unlisted. The calls stopped until tonight. Tonight was different though. Usually, the person just breathes, tonight, someone actually spoke. They said that they were watching me, and that they would see me soon." Amber said.

"And that's when you called me." Tim said.

They had moved over to the couch.

"Yeah." Amber said.

"Do you know who it could possibly be?" Tim asked.

"I have no clue. I've tried to think about who it cfould possibly be, but I've come up empty." Amber said.

They talked for a while longer. Finally, Amber stood, and stretched.

"Well, I'm hungry, but I don't feel like cooking. Do you want a pizza?" Amber asked.

"Sounds great." He said.

She ordered o large pizza, and while they waited, they talked. They talked about their pasts. She told him about her family, what she was like in high school, how she got into the Marines, and how she got the job at NCIS.

Tim told her everything about himself. Then they got on to the subject of Gibbs.

"I don't know if you've ever noticed, but Gibbs watches me." Amber said.

"What?" Tim said.

"I'm serious. I'll look up at work, and I see him just watching me. When I first began, he barely talked to me, only when he had to. He's just started talking to me, with out needing to." Amber said.

"I remember that. I've never seen him act like that before. Tony thought it was weird too." Tim said.

"Yeah, well, Tony is...Tony." Amber said.

They both laughed.

There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Tim said.

"You'll need money." She said, reaching for her purse.

"Don't worry about it." Tim said, pulling out his wallet.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes." He told her.

Tim paid the delivery guy, and brought the pizza over to the couch. He set the box on the coffee table.

"It smells delicious." She said.

"Lets eat." Tim said.

It was getting late.

"Tim, would you do me a huge favor?" Amber asked.

"What?" Tim asked.

Amber bit her lip and sighed.

"Would you please stay here with me tonight? I don't want to be alone." Amber said.

Tim thought for a minute, then gave her a smile.

"Sure." Tim said.

She sighed in relief, and smiled. She hugged him.

"Thank you Tim, I'll never forget this." Amber said.

"No problem. Where do I crash?" Tim asked.

"I've got a guest room all ready." Amber told him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five.**

A week had passed since that night. She hadn't had another call, and she was hoping that it was all over. However, she highly doubted it though.

The day was almost over, and she had to check in with Gibbs. The only problem with that, was he was no where in sight, and she had no clue where he was. She decided to call him.

She quickly called him and gave him an update on his voice mail, and told him she was heading home. She said that if he needed to get a hold of her, just to call. Anytime. She hung up, and headed home.

She slid her cell phone in her pocket, and headed for her house. She headed into the house, and threw her purse onto the couch. She rubbed her neck and headed for her bedroom. She began unbuttoning her blouse, and looking for a change of clothes.

She had just taken her shirt off, when she noticed someone standing in the door way. It looked like a guy. He had a ski mask on.

She screamed, and went for her her shirt. The guy pulled out a knife.

"Don't move."

She froze.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" She asked.

"I want you to suffer."

He moved closer to her. She stood her ground, and didn't step away from him. He got closer, and closer, until he was standing right in front of her.

"It's time for you to pay."

"For what? I have no clue who you are." Amber said.

They "talked" for a little longer, then she said something that he didn't like, and he lunged at her. She was ready for him.

They fought for a few minutes, knocking things over. Then he got her. He cut her arm and chest. She fell to the floor, trying to supress the bleeding. The guy was breathing heavy as he knelt next to her.

She lifted her hand to try to pull his mask off. He slapped her hand away, but that didn't stop her. She tried again.

She could feel her sell phone vibrating, but she couldn't get to it, he had started stabbing her. Her cell phone stopped ringing, and her land line started ringing. The answering machine picked up. It was Gibbs.

The guy finally stopped stabbing her.

"Rot in hell bitch."

The guy left.

Amber was gasping for breath. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. Her vision was getting blurry, but she could see wellenough to press redial.

"On the second ring, Gibbs picked up.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

It took her a minute to catch her breath.

"Hello? Is anyyone there?"

"Help me Gibbs." She coughed out.

"Amber, is that you?"

"Hurry, please."

The phone dropped out of her hand. She could hear him shouting her name.

He got there in record time, but she could barely keep her eyes open, and her breathing was shallow and ragged. He ran over to her. He called an ambulance, as he tried to slow her bleeding.

"Gibbs." She whispered.

"I'm here, just hold on. The ambulance should be here shortly, just stay with me, that's an order." He told her.

She raised her hand to his cheek.

He took her hand in his, and looked at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he wouldn't let her.

"Don't talk, save your energy." He told her.

A minute later, the ambulance arrived. They rushed her to the hospital, but Gibbs stayed behind. He called Tony and McGee.

They got there, and were surprised to find blood on his face, hands, and shirt. He explained what he knew, the phone call, and the scene when he got there. He told them to start processing the room, Gibbs decided to head to the hospital to see Amber.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Amber had lost conciousness as the doctors were stitching her up, but she was finally stable. She had lost a lot of blood, so she was given transfusions.

When Gibbs had gotten there, she was still being worked on, so he had to wait. He didn't like it. Hours later, she was finally put into a foom. Gibbs got into see her as soon as it was possible. Tony and Tim gave him updates, as he sat next to her, waiting for her to wake up.

She didn't though. She slipped into a coma.

The sun was shining very brightly as Amber waited for her train. She sighed happily, she wasgoing to visit her sister for a while.

"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?"

Amber looked up to find a ver handsome gentleman talking to her. Handsome, but older than her.

She smiled.

"Nope." She said.

He sat down next to her.

"You catching this train?" The man asked.

"Yes, I'm going to be staying with my sister for a little while. How about hou?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm heading for a job. Something for the government." He said.

"That sounds interesting. I am Amber Sterrett, by the way." Amber said.

"Lee Roy Jethro Gibbs." He said.

"That's a mouthfull, I think I'll just call you Gibbs." She laughed.

"Gibbs." Amber whispered.

He looked at her, then genly held her hand.

"Amber, I'm right here." Gibbs said.

She didn't respond, she just sighed and smiled.

"That's fine with me. Here's our train. Would you mind if I sat with you?" He asked.

"I would love for you to join me." She said.

He helped her with her suit cases, and they borded the train. They found their seats, and sat.

They talked, and as they did, she felt a pull, an attraction to him. He would smile at her, and her heart fluttered, and instantly melted. He had a gorgeous smile, and she thought that she could get lost in his beautiful eyes.

The train pulled into it's destination, and they went their seperate ways. She was sad to say goodbye.

"Goodbye Gibbs." Amber whispered.

Gibbs looked at her, and saw a tear roll down her cheek.

"Amber wake up." Gibbs told her.

She still didn't.

He squeezed her hand gently, and she faintly squeezed his back.

His heart skipped a beat, and he got excited.

It had been a couple months since that day. Amber thought about him evrey day. No matter how bad she felt about something, all she would have to do was think about his smile, and that would make her day.

She never thought that she would see him again. She was wrong though, she was at a coffee shop when she bumped into him. she had accidentally spilled some coffee on him.

"I'm so sorry! I can be clumsy sometimes." Amber said, trying to wipe the coffee off of his blazer.

"It's okay." He said.

She didn't need to look up to know who it was, She had commited his voice to memory.

"Gibbs?!" She said.

"Amber! How are you doing?" He asked.

She smiled at him.

"I'm fine, how have you been?" She asked.

"Pretty good. Why don't we find a seat, and catch up?" Gibbs said.

She nodded.

They found a table, and sat. They talked for hours, getting many refills. He finally did something that surprised her a little, he asked her out for lunch. She accepted.

They headed for a restaurant.

She had a great time. She laughed with him at his stories, and they laughed at her stories.

It was nearing the end of their lunch, when he took out a pen. He found a piece of paper, and wrote his number on it.

"If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call." He told her.

She took his number, and wrote hers down. She handed the scrap of paper to him.

"The same goes for you too." She said, with a smile.

He smiled back.

They headed for their seperate cars. Her cell phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?" She said.

"How does dinner sound, tomorrow night?"

Amber turned around, to see Gibbs standing there, his cell phone to his ear, and smiling. She couldn't help but to smile back.

"Pick me up at seven." She told him.

"It's a date." He said.

"It's a date." She echoed.

"It's a date." Amber said.

Gibbs was startled, and surprised. Was she still dreaming about him? If she was, were they planning on a date? Interesting. He didn't really want to think of one of his agents in that way, but more refcently, Amber had been on his mind, and not in the way that she should have been.

Dod, if DiNozzo ever found out, he would never let it be.

He gently ran his fingers through her hair. Amber smiled, and his heart did a little flip.

He siged, but smiled.

There was a knock on the door. Amber wasn't quite ready yet, but she knew her sister would answer it.

She looked at her reflection and sighed to try to calm her heart. It was going a mile a minute, just at the thought of spending a full night with Gibbs.

She hadn't known him all that long, but she really liked him. She liked him a lot. She had to be careful with how much eagerness she showed.

She gave herself one last look over, then headed to the living room. Gibbs smiled when he saw her, which made her heart melt and she couldn't help but to smile.

"Are you ready to go?" Gibbs asked after a minute.

"Yes." She said.

"You two have a great time." Patty, Amber's sister, said.

"You look great." Gibbs said., when they got into his car.

"You look good too." Amber said.

"You look good too." Amber said, smiling.

"Who do you think she's talking to?" Tony asked Gibbs and McGee.

"I don't know, she must be dreaming." McGee said.

Gibbs didn't say anything.

"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" McGee asked.

"I hope so. Work is boring without her there." Tony said.

McGee rolled his eyes.

Dinner was delicious, dessert was great too. Now, they were standing at the door to her house.

"I had a great time, thank you." Amber said.

"I had a great time too. We should do this again." Gibbs said.

"Definately. I wuld like that." She told him.

She smiled at him, and he smiled back. She loved it when he smiled. He leaned down and kissed her. It took her breath away.

"Wow." She whispered.

Amber opened her eyes and gasped.

Where was she? She was confused. Someone was holding her hand. She looked to her right.

She gasped.

"Gibbs?" She said.

"Amber, calm down. What do you remember?" Gibbs asked.

"Where am I? How did I get here?" Amber asked.

"You're in the hopital. You were stabbed." Gibbs said.

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Memories assaulted her. Some of working with Gibbs, and some of dates, and kissing Gibbs. Was she dating him? Would she date someone she worked with?

"What's the matter?" Gibbs asked.

"I have a question. Are we dating?" She asked.

He looked suprised. He raised his eyebrows.

"What?" Gibbs said.

"Are we, or have we ever, dated?" Amber asked.

"No." Gibbs said.

She looked down at his hand holding hers. When he realized what she was looking at, he let her hand go.

"Did we work together?" Amber asked.

"Yes." Gibbs said.

"So, the memories of working together, are real, but the ones about us dating, are just...dreams?" Amber said.

"Yes." Gibbs said again.

Amber was disappointed. She was kind of hoping that the "dream" had been real. The Gibbs in the "dream", was a great kisser.

"Amber, what was the latst thing that you remember?" Gibbs asked.

She closed her eyes, and tried to remember.

Scenes flashed behind her eyelids. She finally opened her eyes, and looked at him.

"You." Amber said.

"Me?" Gibbs asked.

She nodded.

"Yes. I put my hand on your cheek, then you held my hand. You ordered me to hold on. I was in so much pain." Amber said.

"The pain was from the stabbing. A guy broke into your house, and he fought with you, then he began stabbing you." Gibbs said.

"How did you find me like that?" Amber asked.

"You called me. You could barely talk. I got to your place in record time. Do you know who attacked you?" Gibbs asked.

Amber closed her eyes and tried to remember. Her head started spinning. She put her hands to her head.

"Are you okay?" Gibbs asked.

"My head is spinning, and I'm starting to get a headache." Amber said.

Gibbs stood, but paused for a moment. It looked as if he was trying to decide something. He finally made up his mind, and sat down next to her on the bed.

"Give me your hand." Gibbs said.

"What? Why?" She asked.

"Just do it." Gibbs said.

She held out her hand. It was shaking. He did something with his thumb and pointer to her hand. Her head had started to feel better. The pain and spinning receded.

She opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise.

"How did you do that?" She asked.

He smiled. Her heart melted.

"I'm a man of many mysteries." He said.

She smiled, and gave a laugh.

"I'm pretty sure of that." She said.

He looked at her intently. She looked right back at him. She slipped her hand from his grip, and brushed his hair off of his face. She let her fingers trail down the side of his face. He wrapped his hand around hers.

"Sorry, I just had a very vivid dream." She said.

"About me." Gibbs said.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"You were talking in your sleep." Gibbs said.

"Sorry." She said.

"Why are you sorry? You can't really control your dreams, or...who you dream about." Gibbs said.

"I know, it's just kind of embarassing for a person to dream about their boss, and for their boss to be there when it happens." She told him.

He laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone." Gibbs told her.

She smiled.

"Good, because if Tony ever found out, he would never let me forget it. He'd be ruthless." Amber said.

Gibbs laughed again.

"True." He said.

Both of them fell silent.

Amber was gathering her courage to hold his hand. She was just about to do it, when he stood up.

"I'll go and let a doctor know you're awake. I'lll make some calls too, Abby has missed you." Gibbs said, then left.

Amber sighed in frustration.

She was tearing herself in two. On one hand, the dream had opened up feelings for Gibbs she never knew she had. On the other hand, she wanted to keep her work seperate from her home life, and Gibbs was her boss. Very Taboo. What the hell was she going to do? She had no clue what his feelings about her were, and if he felt the same way about her, what should she do then? Should she precede with the relationship, and still work with him, or move to a different department? She closted her eyes and sighed.

She heard the doctor.

"Where's Gibbs?" She asked.

"He said that he had to go, but that he would be back later." The doctor said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven.**

She had to stay at least one night for observation. Gibbs hadn't come back, but Tony, McGee, and Abby showed up to see her once they had heard that she was finally awake.

They stayed for a while, but she sent them away. With everything that was going through her mind, she wanted to be alone. So, she told them she was tired, it worked. She was alone, and trying to figure out what to do. She soon drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with Gibbs. They weren't just any dreams, they were dreams that would make her blush if she had been awake and only day dreaming.

Scenes of her and Gibbs in very compromising positions at NCIS. In Abby's Lab, in MTAC, in Ducky's autopsy, in Jenny's office, on Gibbs's desk, on Tony's desk, on McGee's desk, on her desk, and many more places.

She finally woke up. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked and saw Gibbs sitting in the chair next to her bed.

"Gibbs, you scared me!" She told him.

"Sorry, so, were you having a good dream?" He asked.

"Why? Was I talking in my sleep again?" She asked.

"Moaning actually." He said.

She blushed. She was speechless, as memories of her dream flashed before her eyes.

"It was good I take it." Gibbs said.

She cleared her throat.

"That depends on the person. I enjoyed it very much, but someone like Tony, McGee, or even Abby, might not like what I was dreaming about." She told him.

"What about me? Would I have liked it?" He asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Ask me at a later time." She saidl

He nodded.

She could tell she was still blushing, and she hated it. It was embarrassing, to say the least.

"So, why are you here?" She asked.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." He told her.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You mean baby sitting, in case the guy decides to come and finish the job." She said.

He laughed.

"Maybe that too." He said.

She smiled and laughed quietly. She yawned.

"Why don't you try to get back to sleep." Gibbs told her.

She frowned. She knew he was going to leave when she fell asleep. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted to look at his face for a while longer.

"What's wrong?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing." She said.

He gave her the "Gibbs Stare", as Tony would call it.

She sighed.

"I just feel like something bad is going to happen, if I fall asleep again." She said.

It wasn't a complete lie. She had a gut feeling something was going to happen.

He raised his eyebrows. A smile was playing on his lips, trying to break out.

"I'll be right here. The only place I'm going will be to get some coffee." He said.

She laughed, and shook her head.

"Try to go back to sleep." He told her.

She bit her lip, and sighed.

"Fine." She said.

She closed her eyes. She felt him take her hand, and he began rubbing it.

"Good night." He whispered.

"Night." She said, quietly.

Soon, she drifted off to sleep again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight.**

Amber had finally fallen asleep, and Gibbs needed caffeine. He decided that he would quickly get a cup at the caffeteria, and be back before Amber ever realized he had gone. He flipped open his cell phone as he left.

"What do you have?" He asked.

Gibbs headed for the cafeteria. About ten minutes later, a man cautiously walked through the halls, and into Amber's room. He watched her sleeping for a few minutes, then walked over to her. He caressed her cheek, as she sighed.

"Gibbs." She murmured.

The man froze.

"You deserved what you got, you bitch. You deserve what is about to happen to you too. You won't survive it this time." The man said, taking his hand away from her face.

He pulled out a knife.

"Good bye, you whore." He told her sleeping form.

Her eyes suddenly opened. She gasped.

Suddenly a gun cocked.

"Don't do it. Drop the knife." Gibbs said, his gun to the guy's head.

Amber's heart was beating frantically.

"Drop the knife, now." Gibbs said, more sternly.

Amber was trying to stay calm, and not freak out. The guy shut his eyes, and dropped the knife, in defeat. Amber sighed in relief. Gibbs hand cuffed him, and called the police.

"What's your name?" Gibbs asked.

He didn't answer.

Gibbs asked again. He still didn't answer.

Amber got out of bed, and gingerly walked over to the guy. She looked at him for a minute, then slapped the guy in the face.

"I can't believe you would sink this low. Finding me after all this time, and trying to kill me. You make me sick. I guess, not much has changed." Amber said.

He began saying something, but Gibbs cut him off.

"Shut up! Amber, what is his name?"

"Jeremy. Jeremy McLean." Amber said.

She turned, and got back into bed.

"You whore! Are your sleeping with this guy now too?!" Jeremy demanded

"Shut up!" Gibbs said.

"Let me warn you, once she gets bored of you, you'll be like yesterdays news. Trust me." Jeremy said.

"I told you to Shut up." Gibbs said.

"I didn't get bored of you, Jeremy, you were abusive! You hit me when you couldn't handle your life and emotions! You probably still are! And from what I've heard, after we broke up, you went down hill, and went fast." Amber said.

"Lies! All lies!" Jeremy yelled.

"Amber, you don't have to explain yourself to him, and I told you to shut up!" Gibbs said.

"You are screwing her, aren't you?" Jeremy laughed, "I should have known, Amber doesn't like to stay single for long. I just didn't realize her tastes have 'aged' so much."

Before Gibbs could say anything, Amber spoke.

"Unlike youtastes, some older guys are more mature. I at least don't go for barely legals, or under age ones." Amber said.

"What?" Gibbs said.

Jeremy's gaze turned icy.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jeremy said.

"Ha. Did the drugs and alcohol affect your brain that much that you can't remember that really big point in your life." Amber said.

Jeremy didn't say anything.

Gibbs looked from Amber to Jeremy.

"What's going on?" Gibbs said.

Amber looked over at Gibbs. She wanted to see a smile grace his lips, but knew that wouldn't be happening until Jeremy was gone.

"Jeremy is my ex boyfriend. We broke up a gear after we started dating. I didn't know until it was too late that he was a Level One Sex Offender. That and he cheated on me multiple times with an 18 year old girl, among others. I got pregnant, with his child, but he must have hated my emotions, or hormones, or something, because he punched me in the stomach. I had a miscarriage." Amber said.

"That wasn't my fault." Jeremy said.

She laughed.

"Right, my stomach just ran into your fist four times." Amber said.

Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"If you had just listened to me, none of that would have happened. But no, you complained that I was around too much, and that you couldn't go anywhere by yourself. That was a laugh, you didn't want me to go with you because you wanted to check out other guys, so you could leave me for someone new." Jeremy said.

He was so insufferable, she just wanted to jump out of the bed and punch Jeremy in his face. She fought to control her temper, it was a struggle, but she managed.

"You kept me in the apartment, and wouldn't let me have any time alone! If I wanted to go any where, you had to go with me, like my father, or my jailer. I had no freedom. You made me hate you over time, I just couldn't stand being around you." Amber spat.

"That's because you wanted to find another boyfriend. You wanted to discard me." Jeremy said.

"After a while, yes, but only because of how you acted, and how you reated me, but of course, you couldn't understand it then, and apparently you still don't." Amber said.

The police finally arrived.

"You make me sick, get him out of here." Gibbs said.

Amber sighed in relief, closing her eyes, and trying to slow her racing heart. She felt him sit next to her. He took her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"About what?" He asked.

"Jeremy." She said.

He gave a small smile.

"That's not your fault. I should be the one appologizing." He told her.

"For what?" She asked.

"For leaving you to get a cup of coffee." He said.

She laughed.

"Don't worry about it, everyone knows that you live on coffee, it keeps you going." She said.

He smiled.

"Still, I should have been here." He told her.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. I'm fine." She said.

"If I hadn't gotten here when I did, he would have killed you." Gibbs said.

She shook her head.

"I would have moved, or something." She said.

"You looked like you were frozen." Gibbs said.

"I saw you standing there, behind him. I knew that you wouldn't let anything happen to me." She said.

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?" He asked.

She smiled sadly.

"No, not everything. Just most things." She said.

He laughed.

"Why don't you try to get back to sleep?" He said.

She rolled her eyes.

She was starting to drift when she felt him lay down next to her. She couldn't help but to smile. Soon, she was sleeping.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine.**

"How long have we known each other?" Gibbs asked her.

She looked across the table at him.

"I don't know, a couple of years. Why?" She asked.

He smiled.

Her heart melted, just like all of the times he smiled at her. it really was her one weakness, his smile.

"I have a question for you." He said.

She tipped her head to the side, as he pulled something ut of his pocket.

"What is it?" She asked.

She gasped when he opened the little velvvet box, and saw what was in it. She looked back at him.

"Amber, will you marry me?" He asked.

She smiled.

"Yes." She said.

He took the ring out of the box, took her hand, and slid the ring onto her finger.

"It's beautiful!" She said.

"Not as beautiful as you are." He told her.

She smiled.

He paid the check, then took her back to her house.

"I love you." He told her.

They were standing at her door.

"I love you too." She said.

He kissed her, and like always, it took her breath away. She smiled as they finished the kiss. She could get used to kisses from him.

He left, and she headed inside to call her sister.

"Hello?" Patty said.

"Patty, it's me, guess what just happened?!" Amber said.

"What? Does it have to do with Gibbs?" Patty asked.

"He asked me to marry him! Can you believe it?" Amber said.

"What did you say?" Patty asked.

"I said yes, of course!" Amber said.

"Congrats. I'm so happy for you." Patty said.

An hour later, Amber hung up, and went to change. She changed, and then got into bed. It was hard for her to get to sleep, she was too excited. Eventually, she did fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten.**

Amber woke up, but didn't open her eyes. A pair of arms were wrapped her waist, and she was cuddling with Gibbs. They were holding hands too.

Was she still dreaming? She had dreamed that Gibbs had asked her to marry him. Could she still be sleeping? Suddenly, she could hear talking outside of the room. It was a doctor, telling someone directions. No, she wasn't dreaming. She was actually laying in bed with Gibbs, and they were cuddling. She smiled again, and snuggled deeper into his chest. She was in heaven.

Her side was starting to ache, she needed to turn onto her other side. Gibbs didn't wake up as she switched over to her other side. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. She sighed happily. If she could have stayed in that moment forever, she would have. Soon, she drifted off to sleep again.

She woke up, to find that she was alone in the bed. She frowned. Where was Gibbs? Almost as if on cue, Gibbs walked through the door.

"Hey, you're awake. How did you sleep?" He asked.

"Great. How about you? How did you sleep?" She asked.

He smiled.

"Fine. The doctors ay you can go home today, that is if everything is fine." He told her.

"Great." She said.

"I'll let them know that you're awake." He said.

She nodded.

He left, and she found some clothes. She got up, and changed into them. By the time she finished, both Gibbs and the doctor were waiting for her.

"Ms. Sterrett, I just want to give you one more once over, then you may leave." The doctor said.

Amber nodded and the doctor began examining her. It didn't take him long. Soon, he was handing her release papers, and her prescription. Then she ws ready to leave.

Gibbs drove her to pick up her prescription, then he took her to her house. They sat in his car for a few minutes. Neither said anything at first. Amber just looked at her house. She really did not want to go in there, especially not alone.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Gibbs asked.

She looked at him, and gave a faint smile.

"That would be great. I mean. if you don't have any where you have to be any time soon." Amber said.

He smiled.

"No where important." He said.

She nodded.

"Let's go." He said.

She took a deep breath, then got out of the car. Gibbs came around the car, to her side. He put his hand on her back, and then they headed into her house.

She was anxious as she stepped into her house. The anxiousness didn't subside as she went further in. The went towards her bedroom, and she felt like a stranger in her own home. When she got to her room, she could smiell the nauseating smell of cleaning products. Then she saw the blood stains that whoever tried cleaning, didn't get. Her blood pressure was rising, she could feel it, and her head began spinning. She grabbed onto the wall, to steady herself.

"Are okay?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm not feeling good." She said.

Everything suddenly went black.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven.**

When had she fallen asleep? She couldn't remember. She slowly opened her eyes. She was laying on her couch, in her living room. She tried sitting up. Gibbs came into view.

"Hey, careful, don't move too fast." Gibbs said.

"What happened?" Amber asked.

"You saw the blood and passed out." Gibbs said.

"Right." She groaned.

"Someon e will be over to finish cleaning it. It won't be until Monday though." Gibbs said.

Amber frowned. If that was, true, and it probably was, then she would have to see the blood stain the rest of the weekend. That is, unless she slept on the couch. Her couch was nice to sit on, but not to sleep on. She did have a guest room, but she really didn't want to be alone.

"I was thinking. Would you like to stay at my place until they clean up the stain?" Gibbs asked.

Her heart skipped a beat. She smiled.

"That would be great." She told him.

He smiled.

"Okay. I'm going to get some clothes for you. I don't want you going back in there." Gibbs said.

She nodded.

Ten minutes later, he came back out with her black duffle bag, filled with clothes. He went into the kitchen, poured her a glass of water, and handed it to her.

"Drink this, and I'll be right back." He told her.

She nodded, and took the glass from him. He brought the duffle bag out to his car, then returned.

"Once you're done, we'll leave." Gibbs said.

She nodded. She drank the water. Not too fast, but not too slowly either. She was almost minished when he returned. She finished, and he took her glass back into the kitchen.

"Are you ready?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah." She said.

They walked out to his car. He opened her door for her, then went around to his side. She put her head against the cool glass. It felt good. Before she knew it, Gibbs was pulling into his driveway. She got out of the car. Gibbs grabbed her duffle bag, then they went inside. He showed her to the guest room.

"Are you tired?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"Hungry?" He asked.

"Starving." She said, with a smile.

"Great. I'll order chinese, and you can get settled." He told her.

She nodded.

He left to call the Chinese restaurant, and she began putting her things away. She realized that he forgot to grab her pajamas. She bit her lip, and went to find him.

"Hey." He said, whe he saw her.

"Hi. You forgot to grab my pajamas." She told him.

"I'm so sorry. Why don't yo borrow something of mine." He said.

"Sure." She said.

He went to get her something. He returned with one of his NIS shirts. NIS was what NCIS used to be called, back when Gibbs first started.

"This should fit." He told her.

"Thanks." She said.

She put the shirt in her room. She went back out to the kitchen, as the doorbell rang. The chinese food had arrived. It smelled delicious, and her stomach growled in agreement. Gibbs set the food down on the coffee table, in the living room.

"Have a seat." He said.

"Do you need help with anything?" She asked.

"I'vve got everything covered. Do you want anything to drink?" He asked.

"Water will be fine." She said.

The food was as good as it smelled. All of it was finished in no time. Gibbs cleaned up, and wouldn't let Amber help. Soon, they both were sitting on the couch.

"That was delicious, thank you." Amber said.

"I'm glad that you liked it." He said.

They sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Gibbs finally broke the silence.

"Do you want to take a shower tonight?" He aslked her.

"Yeah, that would be great." She said.

She followed him to the bathroom. He pulled out a towel and w ash cloth for her. He left, and she took a quick shower. She got done, wrapped the towel around her, and went to her room. She put the shirt on, and she slipped on new panties. There was a knock on the door. It was Gibbs.

"Did you need anything before I went to bed?" He asked.

"No, I'm all set. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I really appreciate it." She told him.

He smiled.

"I'm glad that I could help." He said.

She gave him a hug.

"Good night." She said.

"Night." He said.

He left. She climbed into bed, and settled in.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve.**

Amber was having a night mare. She was thrashing, yelling, and crying. She was loud, and she woke up Gibbs. He ran into her room, sat in the bed next to her, and held her. He tried to soothe her, but she didn't wake up, and she was still in the night mare.

Ahe finally woke up, gasping for air, and clinging to Gibbs. He held her tightly.

"It's okay, it's only a dream, you're fine now, I've got you." He said.

"It was terrible! I couldn't get away." She said.

"You're safe now. Calm down." He said to her.

She began calming down.

"Whydon't you lay back down, and try to fall asleep again. Don't worry, I'll be right here if you need me. I won't leave you." He told her.

"She nodded, and laid back down. He laid down under the covers with her. He gathered her into his arms, and after a little while,, her breathing became even, and she had fallen asleep again. Soon, he drifted off to sleep too.

They were still in each other's arms the next morning. Their bodies were entwined in each other. Amber was half awake and half asleep still. She felt his hand on her cheek. Suddenly, she felt his lips on hers. It was so soft and gentle, she didn't want it to end. But, like every thing, it did. Her lips were tingling fom where his lips had been. She smiled.

"Good mornigng. How are you feeling this morning?" Gibbs asked.

"Fine, and you?" She asked.

"It got better." He said.

She opened an eye, to find him smiling at her. She closed her eye again, and smiled. She stretched, careful not to hit him.

"Wait here, I'll get breakfast." He said.

She opened her eyes, and nodded. He gave her a quick kiss, then left for the kitchen. In no time at all, he had mad her eggs, bacon, and gotten her some orange juice. It smelled great.

It was almost noon, whe the phone rang. They were sitting on the couch, cuddling, and watching a movie on T.V., Amber was actually starting to drift off when the phone rang. Gibbs got up to answer it.

"Yeah, Gibbs." He said.

He listened for a moment.

"Do not call her. She just got out of the hospital, she needs to rest. Don't disturb her." Gibbs said.

Amber looked over at him. She knew he was talking about her.

"I'll be right there." Gibbs said.

He hung up, and went to his room. She watched him walk. He came back out, his gun and badge were securely at his waist. He had his NCIS wind breaker and cap on already.

"What's going on?" She asked, standing up next to him.

He put his hand on her cheek.

"That was DiNozzo. I have to g, there's a dead sailor found on the beach. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." He said.

She nodded.

"Okay." She said.

He leaned down and kissed her.

"Bye." He said.

"Bye." She repeated.

He left, and she went back to the movie. It wasn't quite as interesting, or comfortable, without him. She decided to make something to eat. She made a sandwich. When she finished eatging, she laid down on the couch.


End file.
